1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel filter aid, and more specifically to a filter aid including a specific silica gel as a primary component.
2. Description of the Related Art
Filter aids are generally used to reduce the filtration resistance and prevent clogging of a filter member in order to obtain a filtrate with high clarity by adsorbing or containing solid or colloidal substances in slurry.
In a pre-coat method, a filter aid forms a cake layer of 1 through 2 millimeter thick on a filter member to separate solid substances from slurry.
Typical examples of commonly used filter aids include diatomite, pearlite, and cellulose. These conventional filter aids have several drawbacks as difficulty in waste treatment and inability of eliminating water soluble proteins, which deposit as precipitate and decrease the clarity of the filtrate.